MP blamed for tardy highway widening work

K. Raghupati Bhat, MLA, on Saturday accused K. Jayaprakash Hegde, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, of failing to expedite work on widening of National Highway 66 in Udupi district.

Mr. Bhat told presspersons here that there had been no progress in the work on NH 66 ever since Mr. Hegde became MP of Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency 10 months ago. Mr. Hegde’s predecessor D.V. Sadananda Gowda used to constantly monitor the highway widening work. “I do not know if Mr. Hegde has even held a meeting with the engineers of NH 66 or even chaired a meeting of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee,” he said.

Mr. Bhat said that he had not claimed credit for getting a halt for the Pune-Panvel-Ernakulam Express in Udupi. “Neither me nor Mr. Hegde deserve the credit for getting a stoppage for the train. The credit should go to the Udupi Railway Yatri Sangha. I coordinated with the sangha and wrote to the Indian Railways seeking a stop at Udupi for the train,” he said.